Cregan abuse man must pay officers compo

A MAN has been ordered to pay compensation to the bobbies who were first on the scene of the Dale Cregan police killings.

Michael Martin apologised to Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court for offending the two officers who found PC Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes who were killed in a gun and grenade attack in an ambush.

The court heard Martin hurled abuse at the firearms officers about Cregan on November 11 last year, not knowing they were the ones who found their colleagues’ bodies. The two officers had been attending an incident on York Street, Tyldesley, when they were called to attend the scene where Martin was reported to be becoming aggressive.

Martin, who was drunk at the time, shouted obscenities about Cregan at the officers who then arrested him and took him away.

Mike Ardern, prosecuting, said: “Both officers said that while dealing with the arrest they found the remarks to be extremely offensive.”

He said Martin wouldn’t have known that they were the officers who first found PCs Bone and Hughes and that they would have both found his remarks even more offensive than another officer.

Martin, who is on licence until August 2018 after being released from prison last March from serving an unrelated 11-year sentence, was ordered to pay £100 compensation to each of the officers, £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £60.

The 28-year-old of Priory Avenue, Salford, was also put on a curfew for eight weeks.

Defending, Abigail Henry said: “He has since expressed genuine and sincere remorse to the two officers and has asked me to reiterate that to the court. He is sorry for any stress and anxiety which was caused.”

After sentencing, Martin told the magistrates he deeply regretted his actions on the day. He said: “This has just been a blip and a one-off mistake, I’m sorry for what I said.”

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